NPR.

In In the In 1969, Michael Huerta was one of the tens of millions of Americans watching the Apollo

11 Moon Landing on TV.

He was a teenager then and he was transfixed.

Man on the moon.

We copy it down, Eagle.

Almost 50 years later, Michael was at Cape Canaveral for another historic moment.

The company SpaceX launched a rocket and successfully landed the booster on a

barge off the coast of Florida.

It was one of the most exciting things I've ever seen.

What do you think your teenage self who watched the moon landing on TV

would think about their future grown-up self

getting to watch a rocket Lodge in person.

I grew up in inland Southern California in a family that didn't have a lot of money

and I never dreamed that I would have any role to play in that industry.

A role to play.

Because Michael wasn't just a curious bystander for the SpaceX launch.

At the time, he was the head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

And he saw new companies like SpaceX grow into big players

that consumed an increasing share of FAA resources.

Now Michael thinks those companies should bear more of the costs of using the country's

airspace, and the Biden administration is listening.

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